Attendance Falling at Churches of Christ

There are fewer folks in Churches of Christ pews than any time since 1980. A new church report (called the 21st Century Christian) shows 12,629 congregations (526 fewer than in 2003) and 1,578,281 "adherents” as the report calls them (78,436 fewer than in 2003). One reason for the decline: 21 churches with Sunday morning instrumental worship services are not included. That cuts out congregations like the Richland Hills Church near Ft. Worth, Texas with more than 5000 members. But if you adjust for the instrumental churches, there is still a significant decline. Of greatest concern to the denomination is the aging congregations. The number of children has dropped 7%. Note: There's a long dispute in COC circles over whether musical instruments should be used in church services.